Is this trailer safe and harmless for this Bravo? It's a 2009 Bravo offered by a Hobie dealer. I live 45 minutes from the lake where I'll be sailing. I have four concerns:

First, the hull sits less than an inch from the wheel covers.

Second, the hull sits on some very thin rails. (I suppose if I put padding between the wheel cover and hull, that might solve both problems.)

Third, the dealer advises to let the wheels cool after getting to the lake so that the grease (which he says will liquify from the heat of the trip) doesn't leak upon contact with the water when backing the trailer down the ramp. Does that sound right?

Fourth: he suggests laying the covered mast and sail flat on the trailer under the hull.

Thanks for the suggestions. Now that you mention it, it does look like those fenders have enough clearance over the wheels that they could be modified to give the hull a little more room without getting in the way of the tires. But even so, as you say I'll still need some padding between the bottom of the hull and the frame of the trailer. I'll see what I can talk the seller into doing for me to sweeten the deal.

And another thanks for the reassurance about the bearings. As slow as I am, they'll have plenty of time to cool before I back down the boat ramp.

Is this trailer safe and harmless for this Bravo? It's a 2009 Bravo offered by a Hobie dealer. I live 45 minutes from the lake where I'll be sailing. I have four concerns:

First, the hull sits less than an inch from the wheel covers.

Second, the hull sits on some very thin rails. (I suppose if I put padding between the wheel cover and hull, that might solve both problems.)

Third, the dealer advises to let the wheels cool after getting to the lake so that the grease (which he says will liquify from the heat of the trip) doesn't leak upon contact with the water when backing the trailer down the ramp. Does that sound right?

Fourth: he suggests laying the covered mast and sail flat on the trailer under the hull.

I'll answer in the order of your questions:First - My trailer has covers on the back side of the wheel wells. I had my trailer custom built, and this was one thing that I had asked for. It keeps all the stones and fast flying, hull damaging things, away from the boat. (see image below)

Second - The boat really shouldn't sit on those rails. It will probably move just a little, and even then, I'd find a better way to do it. I put mine on two 2x4 pieces of wood, covered in carpet (also see image below)

Third - I had my trailer built with water proof lighting, but now never take it into the water. The Bravo is so light, that it's easier to back up to the water without going in, and just pull or push the Bravo into the water without getting your trailer wet. It doesn't need much water to float, and this has been far easier than submersing the trailer. There's just no reason to do that with a boat this small and light. The key is to make sure that your bunks (in my case the 2x4's) go right to the back end of the trailer.

Fourth - You can lay the mast on the trailer under the boat, but you'll deal with a couple of complications. First, that is an area that gets dirty and is subject to road debris. Second, the mast is much longer than the boat, and will hang out well beyond your trailer. That's not legal in some jurisdictions, but it's not all that safe anywhere. You don't want some idiot running into the mast. I use a sail tube, but you don't have to do that. I would put the mast up like I have it in my final picture below. Whether you use a sail tube or not, it shortens the overhang, and that's best. The sail bag comes with a red flag sewn into the end, so it gives other drivers a visual clue that the sail is beyond the trailer.

In the end, it's all up to you. What you feel is safe, easy, and secure. But those are my 2 cents worth.

Thank you very much for the reply and photos. I'm going to ask the seller to put some carpeting down to protect the hull from the wheel wells and the rails underneath the hull. (He's a Hobie dealer and the local cat sailors I've found speak highly of him, so I'm feeling more comfortable with his reassurances.) When I get the boat and trailer home I'm gonna see about adding some additional modifications along the line of your suggestions, such as protecting the hull from road debris.

Where did you get that 6" pipe for your mast and sail? (I misunderstood my seller: he suggested putting the mast/sail/cover on top of the hull, not beneath the hull on the trailer.) And do I recall you saying you glued the pipe together?

I got the pipe from a friend who happens to be an industrial plumber. I believe you can special order it from Lowe's or Home Depot, but they aren't rare in the plumbing business. The big box stores seem to only stock 4" pipe.

I did glue the middle, and the bottom cap. The bottom has a screw out section which I use to get the sail in and out. The top cap just pops on, but I didn't glue that. If for whatever reason the screw out bottom doesn't open for me, I'm able to get the sail out the top.

If you end up going that route, there's another post that explains what I did. As with everything, there are pro's and con's to the way that I did it, so you'll have to decide if you want to do it in the same way or another way.

This may be late know but here is what i did. I just got a 4 X 8 Utility Trailer srewed in boat roller for easy on/off. Added a stand to the tongue of the trailer for the mast and sail. This design is working just fine for me. Some times I drive the bravo for an hour on the interstate never had any problems. I will post pic in a few.